Printing upon fabrics



Patented Feb. 9, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRINTING UPON FABRICS No Drawing.

2 Claims.

The present invention-relates to processes of and compositions for printing or otherwiseforming designs upon textile materials and it has particular relation to processes of and materials for forming'designs of relatively light or bright color upon fabrics of relatively dark color.

One object of the invention is to provide a fabric possessing a design of light color upon a relatively strongly or densely colored dark background, which design is resistant to fading and discoloration, relatively flexible, free from odor, highly opaque and which does not require prolonged and expensive bleaching and washing operations, in order to obtain satisfactory shades of color in the lighter portions of the designs.

It has heretofore been proposed to apply de-- I signs-of light color upon fabrics of cotton, silk, artificial silk or the like, ofrelatively dark or strong color, by a printing operation involving the use of 'an ink containing a pigment of desiredd; e V

in a drying oil or a cellulose derivative as a hide. The process was far from satisfactory, be-

' usually show through, producing objectionaldis coloration.

White or light colored designs have also been applied over a dark background by first dyeing the cloth with a dischargeable dye and printing the design with a so-called discharge paste, the discharge paste being a reducing agent thickened, with water soluble starches and gums. In some instances a white pigment hasjbeen incorporated to intensify the whiteness; When this process is used a number of subsequent operations such as steaming, washing, etc., arerequired to complete the reducing of the dye, to a leuco compound. The white design obtained in this manner is not a true white even when pigment has been incorporated. It has been accepted by the trade not from choice but from necessity because no other was available.

In accordance with the provisions of the present invention, an ink formed of a solution of a thermosetting resin, such as urea-formaldehyde resin containing a sufficient amount of pigments in order to obtain satisfactory and permanent masking and coloring eflects in the designs, is

Application December 23, 1939, Serial No. 310,857

imprinted as a discontinuous film upon the fabric. The ink preferably contains a plasticizing resin of the alkyd or chlorinated dlphenyl type. It might, also, include 'a discharging agent for the 5 dye of the fabric base, but this usually is not required. 1 I The fabric, Qrior to or in some cases after the printing operation, is dyed in the usual manner with any appropriate dye or dyes and is then dried.

The resins may be employed before they have been removed from the solvents in which they are formed, or solid but soluble resins may be dissolved in an appropriate solvent and compounded with other agencies to form an ink ofdesired consistency. The ink is applied by a printing, stenciling, or other operation to any fabric, or other fibroussheet material, dyed in any desired manner. The fabric is then subjected to heat in order to'eliminate solvents and to convert the thermosetting resin into its final infusible, in-- soluble form. The temperature of suchtreatment will depend upon the specific resin. The following constitute specific examples of ormulae which may be employed in'preparing an ink:

A B I O s Plasticlzing resin. 12 l5 l0 Urea formaldebyderesin uul2 ..e. 6 ,15 Pigment; 55 50 50 Xylql 53 Amy] acetate 21 Xylol 15 Butyl alcohol 8 Butyl alcohoL. 4 Butyl alcohol 10 Nitrocellulose 4 The solvents disclosed may be replaced by other appropriate common solvents for the two resins 40"in which the fabric dye is insoluble. The ratio of solvents to solids should be such as to give desired consistency to the ink for a specific printing operation. The pigment may be employed in such amount as to impart a desired tint or tone 4 to the product. Usually about 30 to 65 per cent will besatisfactory.

The plasticizing resin included in .the above' formulae may be, as previously stated, sebacic acid modified 'phthalic glyceride resin, such as v R G. 2 Paraplex G 20. Glycol may be substituted for glycerol in the resin. Chlorinated diphenyls containing i5 or higher percentage of chlorine may also be employed for all or a part of the alkyd resin. The compositions as above given are pastes which can be employed directly-in the they have been applied is passed through an oven or over rollers heated to a temperature sufiicient to harden the urea-formaldehyde resin to its final or C state, thus providing permanent coatings in suitable designs upon the fabric. The pigment (titanium dioxide) or other pigments of satisfactory color and stability imparts to the designs a high degree of opacity which prevents the dark background of the dye fabric from showing through. The objectional dirty color characterizing designs formed with conventional pigmented ink is thus overcome. The dyes in the fabrics do not require discharging as in conventional processses, and therefore it is possible to employ the present process in the printings of fabrics which have been dyed with fast non-dischargeable colors. By reason of thepresence of the placticizing resin in the composition of the portions of the fabric the latter are relatively flexible and have afeel and appearance which more nearly approximates that of natural cloth than fabrics .that have been printed with conventional inks.

The fabrics withstand washing, dry cleaning and general service to much better degree than the usual types of fabrics.

The forms of the invention herein disclosed are to be considered merely as exemplary. It will be apparent that numerous modifications may be made therein without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.-

What I claim is:

1. A textile fabric embodying a dye impartin a desired ground color to the fabric, a design comprising a discontinuous film comprising 10 to 15 parts of urea-formaldehyde resin in final stage of hardening upon the fabric, the film containing 6 to 15 parts sebacic acid, modified alkyd resin as a plasticizer, and to parts of pigment, rendering the film opaque to the ground color and contrasting with said color.

2. A textile fabric containing a dye imparting thereto-a desired ground color, a design upon the fabric consisting of a discontinuous film comprising a binder containing 10 to 15 percent of ureaformaldehyde resin in final stage of thermosetting, 30 to 65 percent of an opacifying pigment, rendering the film opaque to the ground color and contrasting with the ground color, said film further containing blended therewith a plasticizing' alkyd resin in an amount sufilcient to substantially complete the composition.

' MELVIN W. JOHNSON. 

